


Bowline

by EllieStormfound



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: :D, Boats and Ships, Fluff, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Has Feelings, Geraskier Fluff, Jaskier | Dandelion Has Feelings, Jaskier | Dandelion Loves Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, M/M, Soft Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Soft Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Soft Jaskier | Dandelion, bowline, sailor's knot, yes i'm tagging that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29505870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieStormfound/pseuds/EllieStormfound
Summary: Geralt shows Jaskier how to tie a sailor’s knot
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49





	Bowline

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JaskiersWolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaskiersWolf/gifts).



> My dearest Wolfie,
> 
> happy happy happy birthday!!! I hope that your next year will be filled with happyniess, joy, friendship, laughter, hugs and cake :D
> 
> Here is a little fic I wrote for you <3

Geralt and Jaskier had boarded the Black Dragon - a ship from Novigrad to Skellige - a week ago. Geralt had been invited by Queen Ceris and Jaskier had begged for days until the witcher finally agreed to let him tag along. The first three days on the ship had been exciting for the bard but then the routine and the endless sea surrounding them had begun to look quite boring.

* * *

“Okay, I’ll show you,” Geralt sighed and said to Jaskier, who was leaning over his shoulder. Jaskier had watched him tie a knot in a rope to secure it to a pole with experienced movements.

“Oh yes please,” Jaskier said. “You did that so fast, I could hardly see what you were doing.”

Geralt went over to one of the sailors. Jaskier had only ever been on boats across lakes or along rivers, but never a ship on the open sea. The wind and the waves made for a rocky ride. And this had a very nice side effect on Geralt. His posture and gate had changed slightly since they had been on the open sea to adjust to the movements of the ship, his knees slightly bent so his center of gravity was lower which resulted in a sexy swagger.

Geralt had asked the sailor something, who nodded and pointed to a pile of rope that lay on the deck. He thanked him before he walked over, drew his dagger out of his boot and cut off two pieces of rope of roughly one metre each.

* * *

“You hold the rope like this,” Geralt said patiently after they had sat side by side on a wooden crate. He had given Jaskier one of the rope pieces and was holding the other in his hand.

“You make a loop and hold it together with your index finger and thumb,” he continued.

Geralt looked over to make sure Jaskier was following his instructions. The bowline wasn’t the easiest but also not the hardest knot and certainly a very useful one on a ship.

“Yes,” Geralt said. Jaskier’s fingers were skilled with a lute but the rope looked somehow foreign in his elegant hands. Geralt suppressed a fond smile as he noticed Jaskier sticking out the tip of his tongue in concentration.

“And now you take the end of the rope that is nearer to you and stick it through the loop.”  
Jaskier winked at him and smirked.  
Geralt rolled his eyes and watched Jaskier’s hands.

“No, not from the top,” he said, “from the backside, like a...snake coming out of the lake.”  
Jaskier was grinning now and asked, “I’m sorry, what was that? About a snake and backside?”

Geralt rolled his eyes again and said, “let me show it once more - this is the lake.” He wriggled his hand that was holding the loop.

“A very small lake,” Jaskier interrupted.  
Geralt sighed and said, “yes, a very small lake, Jaskier. And this,” he pointed to the end of the rope, “is the snake.”

Jaskier smiled up at him. He had a hard time concentrating. Being on a ship in the middle of an ocean suited his witcher. It was not just the swagger added to his gait. It was also the wind that was constantly freeing strands of his white hair from where Geralt had tied it back. And the witcher wore a heavy dark blue wool sweater that somehow accentuated the muscles in his arms. And oh gods, he smelled good. Like fresh air, salt water and adventure.

“Jask,” Geralt said, gently shoving his shoulder against the bard, “you still with me?”  
Jaskier shook his head and smiled before he nodded and said, “Sorry, yes.”

Geralt sighed and Jaskier tried to remember what Geralt had said last.

“Ah,” Jaskier said with a grin, “now I put my snake in your backside?” The smirk was nearly splitting his face in half.  
Geralt sighed again, but louder this time, “do you want to learn this or not?”

Jaskier cleared his throat and apologized, “Sorry, yes I want to learn, go on.”

Geralt raised his eyebrows as he said,” the snake comes out of the lake.” He pulled the end of the rope up through the loop and looked over to Jaskier with a sharp stare, but the bard stayed silent, just smiling and nodding at him.

“And now the snake,” he continued, “goes around the tree.” He had pulled the end of the rope a bit more through the loop and guided it slowly around the other end of the rope.  
“And then it goes back in the lake again.”

“But not in the backside,” Jaskier said with raised eyebrows.  
“No, from above,” Geralt said, “now you hold on here and you can pull it tight.”

Geralt had laid his knot on his knees and was looking over expectantly.

“Like this?” Jaskier asked. He had his eyebrows drawn together and looked a bit lost. The wind was whipping Jaskier’s brown hair around his head and Geralt felt the urge to reach over and tuck it behind his ear. His cheeks were rosy from the wind and the constant mist of sea water in the air and something in Geralt’s chest constricted painfully.

“No...wait,” Geralt said and moved closer to him so that their thighs pressed together. With one arm he reached around Jaskier and took his hand into his bigger one. He mirrored this with their other hands.

“Let go of the rope end for now,” Geralt said in his deep voice. He was speaking quieter now and Jaskier could feel his warm breath on his ear. A hot feeling coiled in his gut as he pressed a bit closer against his witcher.

“Good,” Geralt said in his deep voice. “Now we form a loop with the rope and hold it like this.” He guided Jaskier’s hand slowly and pressed his thumb softly on Jaskier’s to secure the loop.

“Now we take this end,” he continued and moved Jaskier’s right hand, “and push it up through the loop.”

Jaskier’s hands felt warm in his despite the cold wind and Geralt had to restrain himself from pressing his face in his bard’s soft brown curls.  
He shook his head and asked, “You remember what comes next?”

“The tree,” Jaskier said, his voice hoarse, “the snake goes around the tree.”  
“Good,” Geralt said and Jaskier shivered slightly at the praise.

“And then it goes back in the lake,” he continued and felt Geralt nod.  
Much to his regret, Jaskier felt Geralt loosen his grip from around his hands. The fingers of his one hand wandered above the knot and he slowly tucked till the knot tightened.

“There, perfect,” Geralt said. As he was drawing back Jaskier said quickly, “can you show me again one more time?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Find me on tumblr [EllieStormfound](https://elliestormfound.tumblr.com/)


End file.
